Rep. Sestak to take on Sen. Specter

Rep. Joe Sestak (Pa.) said Wednesday he will challenge Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), becoming the second House Democrat in the past few hours seeking to unseat an incumbent Senate Democrat.

“I am going to get into the race against Arlen Specter in the Democratic race for senator,” Sestak told the Wayne Independent on Wednesday morning.

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Sestak was expected to run in the Democratic primary, but he was talking things through with various members of his family. Last on the list was his daughter, and he appears to have gotten the go-ahead.

An adviser to Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Paul Blank, also said Wednesday that she would challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in a primary.

Gillibrand was appointed to her seat, while Specter switched parties two months ago after serving as Republican in the Senate since 1980. Both states have gone blue in recent elections but could be competitive, given the right situation. A bloody primary would be a welcome sight for ambitious Republicans hoping to take the seats.

Sestak is in Wayne County launching his statewide tour of all of the state’s 67 counties.